


Long Way Down

by iwasnthere622



Series: Wolves vs Berserkers [1]
Category: Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Gangsters, Alternate Universe - Post-Apocalypse, Gangs, Guns, M/M, Post-Apocalypse, Theft, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-04
Updated: 2016-12-04
Packaged: 2018-09-06 08:02:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,602
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8741671
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iwasnthere622/pseuds/iwasnthere622
Summary: Cloud's breathing had slowed and he was two blocks away from crossing the invisible line dividing the claims staked on this town when a muffled thump from the backseat had him jumping in his chair and swerving to pull over, looking around frantically but he couldn't see anyone. Slowly, trying to not make a sound, he turned around and nearly swallowed his tongue as he watched Squall yawn at him, shouting as the bastard reached up and flicked on the internal car light.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Some of you might have read this as part of my Random Prompts series. I decided to continue writing in this universe, so am re-posting this as Part 1 of that story.

"Fuck!" Cloud cursed, forcing his body to move faster, sprinting around the corner, feet slapping the pavement and trying to breath quietly with aching lungs, trying to _listen_.

How the hell was he supposed to know that even though every Thursday for the past _two fucking months_ the leader of the Berserker gang spent the night at his girl's place that she was upstate visiting her parents tonight and he'd be fucking home?

His body reacted before he even processed the sound, ducking as bullets started flying and the shouts got louder, cursing and weaving, turning abruptly and jumping a fence. He needed to get the fuck out of their territory, now, before they caught him or killed him.

To be honest, he wasn't sure which option was the worst.

The shouts and curses following him got a little fainter as they struggled to hop the fence after him and he found himself grinning and thanking Zack for teaching him how to be as wily as he was.

He cut through another alley, shooting out into a dimly lit street with three or four working streetlights -- progress. He was almost out, if he could get some wheels he'd make it...

His lungs ached and his feet throbbed and his stomach was tense, heart racing as he ran. He skidded past a few cars that were too old, too secure, too broken down, before -- there!

Panting heavily, he stopped and hurried to the driver's side door, pulling out the bent wire of a former coat hanger, popping the lock in three seconds (thanks, Ax) and sliding in. He was surprised as hell to find the keys fucking sitting in the ignition but he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth, starting the car and forcing himself not to just peel away from the curb, driving the speed limit and heading out of this part of town.

He didn't spare a thought to the car's owner beyond a brief notion that they were probably drunk, to leave the keys in it like that in this neighborhood. Or they were gang and cocky, in which case... Cloud smiled. Tonight might not be a complete loss, after all.

His breathing had slowed and he was two blocks away from crossing the invisible line dividing the claims staked on this town when a muffled thump from the backseat had him jumping in his chair and swerving to pull over, looking around frantically but he couldn't see anyone.

Slowly, trying to not make a sound, he turned around and nearly swallowed his tongue as he watched Squall yawn at him, shouting as the bastard reached up and flicked on the internal car light.

The light burned his eyes, blinding him for long seconds before his watering eyes would focus, part of him somewhat hysterically thinking that this close up, he wasn't sure which was more intimidating -- the scars jaggedly cutting Squall's face or the sleeves of tat's crawling over his arms.

Leon yawned again, blinking, lip rings glinting in the light. "Why the fuck did you steal my car?"

"This is your car?" Cloud asked incredulously. "Dude, the keys were in the ignition! Since when are you that stupid? Or sleep in cars?"

Leon's eyes narrowed dangerously, sleep rapidly fading from his eyes as he answered, "I didn't say I owned it."

The way he said it, Cloud was suddenly reminded that Squall was the best hitman of the gang Cloud had just tried to rob and for all he knew there was a body in the trunk. His fear clouded his sense of irony at stealing an already stolen car.

"Uh, right," he swallowed, trying to slowly move his hand to the door handle, getting ready to bolt.

Leon looked around, eyebrows raised. "Why are we in my turf, Wolf?"

Cloud pulled his best poker face, not answering.

Leon's eyes narrowed, hand idly sliding to his pants pocket. "Answer, Cub."

"I'm not a cub - I'm a Wolf!" Cloud snapped, flushing because he was scared and screwed and he knew it.

Leon snorted and just like that, relaxed into the seat, hands behind his head.

"All right, then, Wolf. Where are going?" Leon asked.

"Outta Berserker land," Cloud muttered, trying to silently pop the automatic lock.

"Well, drive then," Leon said, nodding to the steering wheel and giving Cloud a look, daring him to turn his back and drive the car instead of running.

Cloud grit his teeth, slamming the car light out and plunging the interior into faded darkness again, ignoring how the hairs at the back of his neck were standing up as he faced forward, streetlight catching on his rows of earrings and glinting as he put the car into drive.

Unfortunately, the little interlude of realizing he had company gave his pursuers time to catch up and as he pulled away from the curb, he met the eyes of two of those who were chasing him as they exited the opposite alley, everyone freezing for a moment before they started yelling and shooting and Cloud gunned it.

Leon, the bastard, started laughing. "Ah, caused some trouble I see," he grinned.

Cloud's heart was racing again, ducking bullets and spraying glass as the lunatic laughed in the back like this was a fucking amusement park ride.

His heart nearly stopped when the tires were shot out and the car coughed and grumbled and lurched to a stop.

"Out," Leon said, all laughter gone from his voice, exiting the car and dragging Cloud out with him, shoving him down behind the car for shelter.

"Church to your 7, go on my count," he ordered, no nonsense, and Cloud was too scared to do much but nod, a little confused why Leon wasn't just shooting him himself or handing him over. But when the hitman told him to run, he _ran_.

Just like Squall had said, there was a crumbling church a road over and he ran as fast as he possibly could for it, trying to ignore the sounds of gunfire and the slap of pursing footfalls.

A bullet grazed his leg as he made it to the big wooden doors but it barely slowed him, shoving inside and stopping for a moment in frozen panic before an arm was grabbing him and dragging him the left, growling at him to _hurry up_.

He let Squall drag him further in, ducking with him between rows of pews.

Squall was watching the door and Cloud was staring at him. More specifically, at the blood running down his arm.

"You're hit," he choked out in a whisper, even more confused now.

"So're you," Leon muttered back, glancing at his leg only briefly.

Cloud shrugged, because yeah he'd been grazed and it burned like a motherfucker now that he was thinking about it, but he was pretty sure a bullet was in Squall's arm.

"Why're you... helping me?" Cloud dared to ask as the minutes of tense silence stretched. He didn't think he'd get an answer, until Squall replied softly.

"There's something of me in you."

Cloud gaped at him. "I'm _nothing_ like you." Cloud didn't hurt people.

Leon smirked. "You've got the same dark something twisted in you."

"If there's a shadow in me, then the dark is a _tidal wave_ inside of you," Cloud retorted, snorting a bit. Squall hurt and killed people. Cloud stole things. You couldn't compare them.

Before Squall could say anything, the church doors opened and four guys crept in. Shit. They were so dead. Well, Cloud was.

Leon picked up a hymnal and chucked it to the right of them, shoving Cloud to crawl along the pew and further away from the gang members when they open fired in the fucking church in the direction of the sound.

Leon boxed Cloud into the end of the aisle, bodily between him and the rest of his own gang, both of them barely breathing.

Squall turned and looked at him with... _something_ in his eyes, something that made Cloud lick his hips in response, heart pounding so loudly surely they all could hear it.

And then Squall was kissing him and he was kissing back and the world stopped.

There was nothing gentle about the kiss, all tongue and teeth and the harsh stab of Squall's lip rings digging into him and Cloud thought one maybe nicked him because suddenly everything tasted coppery but also _Squall was kissing him_ and he couldn't bother to analyze anything further.

They kissed for forever and only a few seconds at the same time, and Cloud hadn't realized he'd been clinging to Squall, fingers tangled in his hair, until Squall pulled back.

Cloud stared at his slightly swollen lips, thinking that _he did that_ , feeling drunk and like Squall's lips held all the answers for him, that if he just keep kissing him...

"I'll save you the seat next to me in hell, Cub," Leon said, smirking, before he was standing up and striding confidently to the middle of the church, immediately cursing out the others for shooting at him.

Cloud sat in a daze as he listened to Squall convince them that he'd ran out the back and Squall had given him a reminder not to fuck with the Berserkers, the others not even questioning it.

He heard one of them mutter -- was he on the phone? -- that Squall had taken care of the kid and they were returning to base for medical.

He watched Squall walk out of the church without looking back, slumping back and lifting his trembling fingertips to his lips.


End file.
